Ricki-Lee talks all things Australian Idol

Ricki-Lee Coulter talks childhood dreams, working with her husband, and the baby girl who grounds her

Auditioning for Idol, in front of judges Ian “Dicko” Dickson, Marcia Hines and Mark Holden, made that happen. “It was the start of the rest of my life when I walked into that audition room,” she says.

Ricki-Lee is thrilled that Marcia is back as an Idol judge this season, alongside Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark.

“Marcia is the OG,” [Original] she says. “She’s the queen. I love her so much. She and I have stayed really close since I was on the show. Our relationship is part of the reason I said yes to hosting.”

Marcia was a mentor to Ricki-Lee when she was a contestant, teaching her how to walk in high heels on stage and giving her advice on what to wear.

“She would pull me aside if I was wearing an outfit that maybe she thought, ‘Ooh, you’re going to get a bit slammed for that,’” Ricki-Lee remembers. “She would say, ‘Hey girlfriend, maybe go and talk to them about changing this.’ She was very helpful, and I like to be like that for all of the contestants. I always say, ‘If you want advice, come and find me and I’ll do my best to help you out.’”